The present invention relates to a control device for a motor vehicle provided with a transmission mechanism, and in particular, relates to a change gear control device suitable for controlling an automatic transmission in a motor vehicle provided with a torque converter.
Conventional change gear control devices for automatic transmissions in motor vehicles are, for example, disclosed in JP-A-51-44763 (1976) and JP-A-62-261745 (1987) wherein a vehicle speed and a throttle valve opening degree are detected in a form of electrical signals and a transmission gear ratio appropriate to the instant vehicle speed and the throttle valve opening degree is selected among a predetermined change gear pattern by making use of the vehicle speed and the throttle valve opening degree as variables and further wherein a plurality of change gear patterns such as economic type driving pattern and sporty type driving pattern are prepared and are switched via change gear pattern selection operation by the driver.
With the above conventional change gear control devices, an intention of a driver was not sufficiently reflected to the change gear control device and the transmission gear control was determined by the selected instant transmission gear pattern allowing little modification so that a proper transmission gear ratio correctly reflecting the instant driving condition could not be obtained, therefore the driver had to frequently switch the change gear patterns to meet the instant driving condition which reduced operation facility of the motor vehicle.